Lawmakers in Sacramento worked into the early morning hours Saturday to pass the California Values Act, a bill that would protect undocumented immigrants living in California.
The bill passed by the state senate 27 to 11 Saturday morning, and will now head to Governor Jerry Brown's desk, where he's expected to sign it.
Officially called SB54, the bill is also known The Sanctuary City bill.
The bill targets the communication of state and local officials with federal immigration enforcement, allows the use of schools and courthouses as safe zones and does not allow local law enforcement to arrest, detain or hold people on behalf of immigration federal authorities.
The controversy in the bill lies in the fact President Trump has specifically spoken out against "sanctuary cities,” and has even threatened to withhold federal funds from such cities.
The latest data from the Pew Research center shows California has an estimated 2.3 million undocumented immigrants.
The law doesn't completely prevent local officials from reporting to federal authorities - it gives room for discretion. Another exception would be made for reporting those convicted in the last 15 years of crimes like DUI's or Drug possession, weapons charges or gang-related offenses, so long as the offense is a felony. A San Diego immigration lawyer told NBC 7 the interpretation of the law will be key.
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A spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department said they're still reviewing the legislation to see how it will impact them.The Sheriff's department had a similar statement saying: “We are going to have to analyze the final version of the bill and see how it affects us.”
California wouldn't be the first state to have a sanctuary law on the books; Oregon passed one in 1987.
